Home
by Umeko the God
Summary: Oneshot Haruka loved to travel—it was her favorite part of Pokemon training. Her one regret, however, was that she didn't have a home. Gamebased, fluff, Daigo x Haruka Steven x May .


Author's Note: Another DaiHaru (Steven/May) ficlet from me. This one takes place after my other DaiHaru one-shot, "Rising Star," and also after its sequel which I have yet to write. But this stands quite well on its own, and you probably wouldn't have even known that this was related to those two if I hadn't told you, so don't worry about it!

This one is also random, fluffy, and pointless. It is also unbetaed, because it's only like a thousand words long and it's just not worth it to try and find someone who'd actually want to read this. XD And as usual, I am using my odd combination of Japanese names for people and English names for everything else. So that means Daigo is Steven, Haruka is May, and Mikuri (why does his name keep popping up?) is Wallace.

OH. AND. If anyone reading this happens to be wondering what's up with my other story, "Fixed Star," it's going to be updated soon. Hopefully before the end of the year (which is... tomorrow). I'm just REALLY not looking forward to writing the battles that will be taking place in the next chapter. XD

Now that that's over with, enjoy:D

Disclaimer: Pokemon ≠ mine.

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**Home**

Traveling was Haruka's favorite part of Pokemon training. She adored the thrill that she got when she came across a new town, met new people, and made new discoveries. There was nothing in the world, she thought, that she'd give that all up for.

Her one regret, however, was that she didn't really have a home. Rarely did Haruka sleep in the same bed for more than one night at a time, so exciting though it was, she never felt a sense of familiarity when the day came to a close.

Her parents had a house in Littleroot Town, of course, but right after moving there, Haruka had left on her Pokemon journey. While it did, technically, hold the title of "home," Haruka had no connection to it, and thus "home" was just an empty name. There was also her Secret Base on Route 114, but nobody ever came around—it was a _secret_ base, after all. Often she found that it was just too lonely to stay there longer than necessary.

She had no choice but to sacrifice comfort and familiarity, she decided. If she lingered too long in one place, she'd be missing out on further adventures that could be had elsewhere.

And in her mind, it was worth the sacrifice.

At some point, though, Haruka realized that she was stopping by Daigo's house rather frequently. Upon further thought on the subject, she determined that Daigo's house was more familiar to her than the house in Littleroot Town that held the title of "home." She was alarmed at first that she had allowed herself to waste so much time in one place, and scolded herself for it. But after one glance into those steely blue eyes, she decided that no time with Daigo was wasted time.

She knew she was acting like a lovesick girl. When it came down to it, though, that's exactly what she was, so was it so wrong?

Maybe not wrong, but it _was_ terribly presumptuous of her to consider Daigo's home her own. It was also unhealthy, to become too attached to something she had no right to, and likely never would. Because there was no way that Daigo could see her the way she saw him; he was a wealthy, handsome man, and she was just a child.

He did, however, always welcome her warmly into his home. Even when she visited as often as once a week. Even when he was busy with work. Even when she would accidentally wake him up with her arrival, because he had stayed up all night, too engrossed in the book that he was reading to put it down. He would always open the door and smile softly at her, saying, "Come on in, Haruka-chan. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Sometimes they would talk, and sometimes they wouldn't. If Daigo was busy, then Haruka would just sit opposite him, quietly watching him work. Haruka wasn't one to sit still for extended periods of time, but she found it calming to be with him, and oddly never got bored of just watching him. It was comforting, and the familiarity she felt being with him was a nice contrast from the spontaneity of her daily life.

Presently she was seated on the couch in his living room, watching Daigo read over some report that he had received from the Space Center. Her eyes drooped lazily as she gazed at him, the early evening light filtering through the windows. It had been a while since she had last visited him—over a month, and it probably would have been even longer if Daigo hadn't called her.

She had been idling at the open air market in Slateport when her PokeNav rang, and was honestly surprised to see that it was Daigo calling her. There was a short pause after she answered, and then Daigo apologized, he had meant to call Mikuri and had dialed the wrong number, but now that he had her on the phone, how was she, and how about stopping by to chat sometime?

She smiled. If Haruka hadn't known any better, she would have thought that he _missed_ her, but of course she did know better, because this was Daigo.

Haruka had been busy, which was why she hadn't found time to visit in the first place, but she managed to arrive in Mossdeep three days later, where she had been greeted with Daigo's usual warm smile. They didn't talk for long before Daigo had to turn his attention to his work, but, Haruka thought as she closed her eyes, she didn't mind.

She opened her eyes again when she felt something warm being draped over her, and noting that her head was resting on the armrest of the couch, she determined that she must have fallen asleep. Blinking a moment, she gazed upwards at the tall figure standing over her. "Daigo-san?"

"Are you awake?" She could see him smiling gently in the pale moonlight.

Haruka grinned sheepishly in response before she noticed just _how_ dark the sky had turned through the window. She sat up in alarm, pushing back the blanket, and asked, "What time is it?!"

Daigo glanced at his watch and answered, "About quarter after eleven."

"Oh no!" She jumped to her feet, her mind racing. "The front lobby will be closed!"

"Front lobby?"

"At the Pokemon Center!" she clarified. "I won't be able to rent a room for the night! I guess I'll have to camp out..."

She trailed off when she heard Daigo chuckling lightly.

"What?"

"You can stay here if you'd like."

Haruka was silent a moment. "Da- Daigo-san, I couldn't, I wouldn't want to trouble you..."

"It's no trouble at all," he smiled, and Haruka slowly sat back down on the couch.

"If..." she stuttered, "if you don't mind, then..."

"Of course not," Daigo said, and he patted her on the head. Haruka nodded slowly as she lay back on the couch, and he tucked her in. Finally, he added, "After all, Haruka-chan, my home is your home."

Haruka lowered her eyes and pulled the blanket over her face to hide her growing smile. Somehow, those words made her feel happier than she could have ever imagined. Watching Daigo leave the room, she whispered two words in response.

"Thank you."

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I had to rewrite this fanfic three times because I just couldn't get the message I wanted across. This version is the closest I got, so though I think I got a little verbose and it ended up longer than I had intended, I hope you liked it. :D 


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